Community-based participatory research (CBPR) holds that community individuals need to be equal partners in research activities. Participatory research is based on the premise that solutions to problems are more likely when the people affected by a problem are involved in its solution. Participatory research has become increasingly popular in recent years;however, it remains difficult for community partners to be involved in the front end[unreadable]that is, the selection of topic and the study design[unreadable]of community research. We have successfully formed long-standing partnerships with Hispanic communities in a region, the Lower Yakima Valley, of Washington State. To date, we have conducted projects on cancer education and prevention, and on pesticide control in that region. As part of our partnerships of the past ten years, we have been able to identify key concerns of community groups and members in the Valley. In the past two years, there has been a burgeoning interest in Type 2 diabetes in the Valley. It has been of special concern to Hispanics who have higher risks of Type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites. We propose to build a partnership with Valley communities, organizations, and members to address the issue of diabetes in the Valley. Our collaborators in the Valley are eager to embark on a project to address diabetes. During the three planning years, we will recruit a Board and plan a pilot project. A carefully designed planning process will be followed to ensure that the Community Advisory Board (CAB) will be the major decision-maker in planning and implementing the pilot project. The pilot project will be conducted in Years 02 and 03. In Year 03, we will work with the Board to develop a proposal for a full-scale project. The CAB will develop the proposal, which will be written in conjunction with the scientific partner, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC). The FHCRC will offer its proposal review committee to review the proposal for submission as a competitive renewal. We propose to begin our partnership with the Northwest Communities Education Center (NCEC), a non- profit organization that provides outreach to Hispanics, and especially to farmworkers, in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. The NCEC believes in building stronger, healthier communities by creating partnerships to meet community needs. It is the home of Radio KDNA, the primary Spanish-language radio station in the Valley. The NCEC has partnerships with 69 other organizations in the Yakima Valley, and has offered to help us recruit partners from those organizations for this effort.